Valve mechanism for use in musical instruments.



E. J. KNABE JR.

' VALVE MECHANISM FOR USE INMUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 13. 1915.

1,178,322. Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

' r v ATTORNEYS,

ERNEST J. KNABE, .13., or CINCINNATI, OHIO.

VALVE MECHANIS FOR USE IN MUSICAL INsTItUMEN'rs.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

Application filed February 13, 1915. Serial No. 8,107.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST J. KNABE, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valve Mechanisms for Use in Musical Instruments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to valve mechanisms for use in musical instruments and especially to the construction of valves, valve seats and valve guides, such as are shown in the accompanying drawings, which are constructed and arranged for use in an automatic player mechanism suitable for an organ or piano.

The objects of my invention are: to provide a valve flexibly attached to a valve stem so as to insure that the valve will seat accurately on the valve seat; to provide a valve seat with a flat surface terminating in curved edges for the valve to seat upon and with a tubular portion formed integrally with said surface to cooperate with the valve guide; to provide a valve guide which shall be simple and so arranged as to insure the accurate seating of the valve on the valve seat. These and further objects of my invention and the details of construction and arrangement by which they are obtained will be described in the following specification and the novel features thereof pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a transverse sectional elevation of a valve case such as is used in player mechanisms, the section being taken along the line 1, 1 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow, the valves and valve seats being shown also in section; the parts being in the normal or in active position; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of some of the parts shown in Fig. 1, the valve case being broken off Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but the parts are in the position they assume when the controlling device (not shown) is operated; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the valve guide and valve stem; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the valve seat; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the valves; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the washers of flexible material used to render the valves flexible with reference to the valve stem.

1 represents a valve case formed by the side pieces 2, 2, to which are secured the bottom 3, and top 4 in any approved manner. The valve. case 1 is of any desired length and is provided with any desired number of valves. The bottom 3 is provided with one duct 5 for each valve which extends to slightly beyond the center of the valve case 1 and joins witha vertical duct 6.

The pouch 7 is composed of disks 8 and 9 formed of flexible material and having their peripheries glued together as at 10,the

lower disk 8 is glued to the bottom 3 of the valve case, so that the hole 11 in said disk will register with the Vertical duct 6. A second vertical duct 12 connects with the duct 5 and the top of the duct 12 is closed by the cap 13 formed with the flange 14 which is adapted to rest against the top of the bottom 3 of the valve case when the can 13 is driven home. The flange 14 is formed integrally with the cylindrical portion 15 and the latter is closed by the hemispherical portion 16 in which is the bleed hole 17.

A cylindrical hole 18 is provided in the top 4 of the action case in line with the vertical duct 6 in the bottom 3 of said case, and

a duct 19 extends from said hole to the side of saidtop. There is a duct similar to the duct 19 for each valve. Two valve seats 20 and 21 have their body portions 22, (see Fig.

5), pressed into the hole 18 so that their flanges 23 rest in contact respectively with the lower and upper surfaces of the top 4 of' the valve case. p

The valve seats 20 and 21 are preferably of metal and the flanges 23 and body portion 22 are drawn up from one piece of metal. The juncture of the flat surface 24 with the interior cylindrical surface 26 of the body 22 is rounded in section, as at 25, and the flat surface 24 terminates in a portion 27 similarly rounded in section. The juncture 25 and portion 27 are rounded in order to prevent the cutting of the valve leather 28 by the sharp edges which would otherwise exist.

The valves are formed of leather or other suitable material 28 secured within a metallic support composed of the hacking 29, the rim 30 and the flange 31, the latter being crimped upon the leather 28 after the latter has been introduced within the rim 30.

The valve stem 31 is preferably formed of metal and threaded on its lower end as at 32; near the top of the valve stem 31 a metallic or fibroid washer 32 is rigidly secured and the leather 28 of the upper valve 36 rests upon said washer andnorm'ally' upon the fiat surface of the upper valve seat 21. Just above the backing 29 of the upper valve and upon the valve stem 31 is mounted the washer 33, (see Fig. 7), formed of felt or any suitable material having elasticity of compression. A washer 34,.similar to 32 is rigidly secured just above the washer 33 so as to slightly compress the latter, and the end of the valve stem 31 is riveted over the washer 34 as at 35. The backing 29 is to be a loose fit on the valve stem 31 a lower valve 37 is mounted upon the valve stem 31 with the face of its leather 28 normally a short distance below the fiat surface of the lower valve seat 20. W'ashers 38 and 39, similar to washers 33 and 34 respectively, are similarly mounted below the valve '37. Upon the threaded portion 32 of the valve stem 31 is screwed a button 40, formed of wood or any suitable material and having a fiat surface which normally is ust above the upper disk 9 of the pouch 7, as shown in Fig. 1. The button 40 is of any approved shape and its top rests against the washer 39. Substantially midway between the valves 36 and 37 there is rigidly mounted upon the valve stem 31*, the valve guide 46, (see Fig. 4), is formed of metal but it may be wood, fibroid or any suitable material.

The valve guide 46 has a cylindrical body 47 provided with an axial hole for the reception of the valve stem 31 at each end of the cylindrical body 47 a plurality of wings 48 is provided, the outer curved surfaces of said wings being substantially portions of the surface of a cylinder having a slightly less diameter than the inside diameter of the body portion 22 of the valve seats 20 and 21.

The pressure of the air in the chamber 50 is substantially less than that of atmospheric air. The duct 5 may be connected to a hole in a tracker, or to a key controlled valve, or to any other device by which air can be allowed to enter the duct 5 to expand the pouch 7 and move the valves to the posi tions shown in Fig. 3, thus terminating the connection between the duct 19 and the chamber 50 and establishing communication cation of air to the reeds or pipes of an organ or for controlling any other mechanism.

The air can readily pass the wings 48, and the outer curved surfaces of said wings, cooperating with the inner curved 26 of the valve "seats 20 and 21, accurately guide the surfaces of the valve leathers 28 upon the valve seats, and thus but one groove is formed by said seats in said valve leathers and the leakage is avoided, which occurs when said valves are not accurately guided because a plurality of grooves are worn in said valve leathers by said seats.

Thus I provide: a valve seat which will not cut the valve leathers; a flexibly mounted valve which will always close tightly; and means "for accurately guiding said valve so that wear of said leathers will not produce leakage.

WVhile I have described my valve, valve seat and valve guide with especial reference to musical instruments, 'yet they may be applied 'in other lines of work without departing from the spirit 'of my invention.

I claim 1. In a valve guide for musical instruments, a cylindrical body formed integrally with a plurality of wings at each end and provided with an axial hole, and a valve stem rigidly mounted in said hole and moving withsaid guide.

2. In valve mechanisms for musical instruments. the combination of two ports, a valve seat having a tubular body portion for each port, a valve for each port, one valve stem for both valves and a valve guide having a cylindrical body formed integrally with winged ends mounted on said valve stem, said winged ends cotiperating with the 'tubularportions of said valve seat to guide said valves.

In testimony whereof, I afliX my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

. ERNEST J. KNABE, JR. Witnesses:

E. A. DOLLE, H. M. Cox.

Copies'of this patent man? he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, .D. G. 

